Sports

On and off the course

As a fifth-year senior, Rich Thomas has seen a lot of twists and turns in his golf career. So it probably should have come as no surprise that he ended up becoming golfing buddies with none other than Principal Belding of "Saved by the Bell" this summer. But you better not call him Screech. "I'd rather be called Zack or Slater," Thomas joked.

Team takes sixth in conference tourney

With a 292 second round score that moved them from seventh to third place Friday, the Hoosiers were primed to make a run for their eighth Big Ten Championship. But unfavorable playing conditions struck throughout the weekend and the team quickly fell in the standings to sixth place.

Intramural sports begin in July

Even during summer sessions, students can participate in intramural sports sponsored by the Division of Recreational Sports. Registration for two of these sports, tennis and whiffleball, takes place Tuesday and Wednesday. Participants can register at the SRSC in room 115, or at the HPER Wildermuth. Whiffleball teams will begin playing July 1. "There will be pool play; it's broken down into three weeks of pool play, and then it goes into bracket play," said Brad Logar, a graduate assistant for Intramurals. "Every team makes the playoffs."

Roadrunners hang on to capture race

On Lap 93 of the 100-lap race, Kappa Alpha Theta senior Krissy Johnson took the exchange, hopped on her Mongoose bicycle and built a quarter of a lap lead on the three other teams that remained on the lead lap: Roadrunners, Kappa Delta and Alpha Gamma Delta. But when Johnson needed her legs, on the final lap's back-straightaway, she could not make up the half a straightaway lead that Roadrunner sophomore Jenn Wangerin had built to win the 14th running of the women's Little 500.

Little 500 riders take a stand

A group of Little 500 riders submitted an open letter Monday declaring their discontent about freshman Joshua Weir's participation in Saturday's race. Riders Council Chair and senior Michael Nierengarten said 15 teams signed the letter. The teams said they fully agree with IU Student Foundation and want the established rules to be followed.

Team holds youth workshops

Games and practices aren't the only thing the volleyball players do. On the Saturday mornings of home Big Ten matches, the players are at the University Gymnasium teaching volleyball techniques to about 100 children. The children who attend the clinics are known as Junior Hoosier Hitters. "We teach little kids the basic skills of volleyball and try and get them to have fun and be enthusiastic about it," sophomore Anna Makowski said.

Doherty tries to regroup Tar Heels

Joseph Forte went to the NBA along with Brendan Heywood. Ronald Curry and Julius Peppers decided to stick with football. Head Coach Matt Doherty knew this season would be hard for North Carolina, considering what he lost from a team that fell to Penn State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last March. Plus, the Tar Heels have to run through the rugged ACC, which is loaded with No. 1 Duke and No. 5 Maryland among others.

Roadrunners repeat

Roadrunners won their second consecutive Little 500 and third overall Friday at the 15th annual event. The team was bolstered by the strong riding of junior Jenn Wangerin, who became the third rider to cross the finish line in consecutive years. First place qualifier Kappa Kappa Gamma finished in second place, followed by Kappa Alpha Theta.Kappa Kappa Gamma finished in second place, followed by Kappa Alpha Theta.

UPSET!

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- IU coach Mike Davis could deal with the media people who said it was impossible. He could deal with the same fans who doubted him this week because they have been doubting him for the past 18 months. But he didn't like what he heard Wednesday from Duke.

Knight considering Texas Tech coaching job

Embattled former IU men's basketball coach Bob Knight might end up as coach of the Texas Tech program. James Dickey was fired Friday as Texas Tech's basketball coach, clearing the way for the possible hiring of Knight. Athletic director Gerald Myers told Tthe Associated Press the decision to drop Dickey was made a week ago and that he and school president David Schmidly met with Knight on Monday in Florida. "We felt it was necessary for us to talk to Bob Knight to assess his interest and also our interest," said Myers, who preceded Dickey as Tech's coach and is longtime friends with Knight.

Give respect to baseball's savior

First and foremost, I just want to let you know that I am a die-hard Cubs fan. I loved the home run chase of 1998, and while I was cheering for Sosa, I was happy to see Big Mac take the all-time single-season homerun crown. Some might say that those two brought baseball back from the depths it had sunk itself from the 1994 strike, but I beg to differ. The home run chase was exciting and captivated an entire nation, but nothing brought baseball back from the pits of hell like Cal Ripken, Jr. did when he broke Lou Gehrig's unbreakable record of 2,130 consecutive games.

IU travels to Illinois for Big Ten preparation

After a three-week layoff, the women's cross country team is ready to get back in action. It has that opportunity Saturday at the Illinois Invitational 5K. The race is more important than results this weekend. The Illinois course is the site for the Big Ten Championship, held Oct. 28. "The main focus is to go and run on the course. It will give them an idea of what they can do on a flat course with good footing," said coach Judy Bogenschutz.

Police have evidence to arrest star Iverson

PHILADELPHIA -- Police say they have enough evidence to arrest NBA All-Star Allen Iverson on charges he barged into a home with a gun and threatened two men while looking for his wife.

21-year-old Australian Hewitt wins his first Wimbledon title

WIMBLEDON, England -- If there were ever any doubts about Lleyton Hewitt's status as the world's top player, there aren't any more.

Hoosiers declaw Bearcats

"Kim (Grodek) will help us immediately," women's soccer coach Joe Kelley said about his freshman midfielder. Friday night, those words came true as Grodek scored the only goal in the 1-0 season opening victory against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis. Grodek scored the goal at the 43rd minute, right before the end of the first half. She split the defense, took a pass from sophomore midfielder Emily Hotz and blasted a shot from the right side to the far post, as the sun was setting in the background.

Hoops team to defend national title

This week the 5th-grade Bloomington Hoosier Hoops team will be going to Cocoa Beach, Fla., to defend their national title, July 21-27. The team is seeded 2nd in the tournament, but only because of the point accumulation system which is in place and not because of a win-loss record. In their age division, the 5th-grade team is 75-0, and it has won six 6th- grade tournaments and a total of 130 games since October, including defeating the State Champion 6th-grade team. The team will be playing in the tournament -- which is similar to the NCAA bracket system -- against a total of 96 teams. "I wish there was something like this when I was younger," said Dan Van Trese, father of one of the 5th-grade players.

Summer season heats up for IU ballplayers

Cream and crimson litters the United States. Sunburn and ball gloves together again, as the boys of spring have become the boys of summer -- IU ballplayers are polishing their skills in collegiate leagues across the country. From central Illinois to central Florida, from Indianapolis to the Pacific coast, IU baseball players are keeping the faith and keeping pace one cleat dig by home plate and one ground ball to the chest at a time. "We want them to play, otherwise they'll get behind," IU assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Tony Kestranek said. Simple enough. As other programs around the country are also sending players to summer leagues, summer ball is crucial for IU to keep up, let alone maintain a competitive edge mentally and physically.

U.S. coach wants to stay through 2006

NEW YORK -- Bruce Arena probably will stay on as U.S. soccer coach after leading the team to its most successful World Cup performance in 72 years. Arena, speaking Wednesday at a news conference to promote Major League Soccer's All-Star game, was reticent to discuss his future. His current contract, agreed to in October 1998, expires at the end of this year. "U.S. Soccer has talked to me and, hopefully, we can reach an agreement," Arena said.

World Cup equals clichés and clashes

The World Cup is probably the biggest cliché-generating event in sports. Let's see how many we can go through in this column.

Recruits practice in 2002 Barnstorm tour